Directing light incident from a light fixture in a precise way while maintaining adequate shielding of the source presents a challenge. Louvers or baffles are typically used to direct light and to prevent direct viewing of the light source, for example, so a lamp is not in direct view of an observer's eyes.
As best seen in FIGS. 1a and 2, a traditional baffle consists of a series of parallel blades 1 placed under the light source 6 to obscure or prevent direct viewing of the light source 6 or to control brightness of the luminare 2. Baffle blades 1 have traditionally been designed in one of two ways, flat or parabolic.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a flat baffle blade 1 simply occludes, absorbs or disperses (see FIG. 1b) the light 7 that would otherwise be directed in an undesirable direction such as into an observer's eyes 8.
A parabolic baffle 9 has vertically orientated sides 10 designed to perform the dual function of shielding the light source 6 and reflecting the light 7 rather than absorbing the light 7 (FIG. 1c). A variation of the parabolic design is the “para-wedge” which has vertically orientated “sides” 10 and 10a that are both parabolic and wedge shaped as shown in FIG. 1d. 
Note: for purposes of this patent application, applicants note that “side” is defined herein as a surface with a substantially vertical orientation as opposed to a “top” which is defined herein as a surface having a substantially horizontal orientation.
Thus, the efficiency and effectiveness of the prior art baffle blades 1 depends upon the surface finish of the baffle blades 1 as well as its shape. For example, the flat baffle blade 1 is thinner than the parabolic baffle blade 9 so it allows more light to propagate through the aperture; however, since the parabolic blades 9 typically have a specular finish, light that hits the side 10 of the baffle blade is reflected rather than absorbed.
Additionally, parabolic baffle blades 9 are typically constructed such that the upper most part of the baffle blades 9 are either folded over or “hollowed out” due to fabrication or cost considerations.
Thus, it would be advantageous to make use of the light 7 which strikes the top horizontally orientated section of the baffle blades that is otherwise scattered randomly or simply absorbed. As described in detail below, by designing a baffle blade in which the top surface is considered and designed as a useful reflecting surface, more light can be redirected into a chosen direction rather than letting it be absorbed or scattered randomly.